Rise from the Ashes
by Damia Rose
Summary: While his struggles to survive grow worse every day, hers have just begun, returning to the places of childhood and facing demons long hidden, both find the darkness surrounding them too much to fight alone... yet to give up would be letting the world fal
1. Prologue

**Rise From The Ashes**

Prologue

As the whistle blew, the Hogwarts express pulled out o the station, taking all the students to the people who waited to take them back home. Dumbledore stood at the window of his office and watched as it sped away. With all that he had tried to do, he now realized he could no longer continue on alone. He needed someone to help. He needed someone who would be able to do what needed to be done without trying to save people pain. He could think of only one person to ask, but he hesitated still. Finally resigning himself to the only option he had, he sat down at his desk and began to write a letter.

Slamming the door to the small dirty flat that held her few belongings, an angry woman swore in frustration. "Why can I not find one thing able to help me?" she cried. She had just come from a small bookshop after poring over mounds of books supposedly holding what she wanted, yet they all proved useless. "Does no one remember the old ways? Or have they all just come to think it useless and abolished all records?" she fumed. She no longer had anywhere else to look. Until another lead came to her, she had nothing.

Suddenly, there came a tapping at the grimy window that looked over the dead end street. She peered through the brownish glass to see a small owl fighting wind and rain to tap at her window. She quickly ran over and opened the latch, letting the small bird fly into the room before shutting it back tightly again against the rain. Tied to it's leg was a piece of parchment, which amazingly was not wet and dripping. She detached it gingerly and patted the owl before turning to tear open the seal and read the letter inside.

After reading through part of it, she sat, stunned, in the only sagging chair. She looked up at the grey ceiling, and then back to the letter, quickly scanning the whole thing again. She reached the end and paused for a moment, before slowly crumpling the paper into a bal. She looked around the dirty flat and swore under her breath.

"So, it's finally time to face the music and go home I guess." She mumbled. she did not want to go, but she had no other choice. No, she had one other choice, but she could not go down that path, so she chose instead to make her future collide with her past, and prayed she would survive the explosions to follow.

She set the parchment down, gave up on finding something to eat, and walked into the back room to go to bed. She barely even hit the pillow before her exhausted body shut down into unconsciousness.

_"I Hate You! All you ever think about is your stupid artifacts! Don't you even care about your own daughter! I can't stand it anymore!" A teenager screamed at her parents as they both stood over a table with various artifacts on it. The barely raised their heads at her while she screamed. She ran over to the table and grabbed a small statue and threw it across the room._

_Her father turned and grabbed her shoulders. "What do you think you're doing!" he yelled. "That statue is 4 thousand years old! Do you even know what that's worth?"_

_The girl stared at her father in disbelief. Suddenly all the passion drained from her body, and she stood as calmly as a mountain lake. "If that is the way you want it, then I'm leaving. I'll find someplace where the people care more about me than a stupid piece of rock. Goodbye father. Goodbye Mother. Don't bother looking for me when you realize your mistakes, if you ever do." She then turned and strode out of the room. Going up the flight of stairs to her small room, she pulled a backpack out from under the bed, already packed, and threw a black cloak over her shoulders._

_As she got back to the top of the stairs, she heard a knock at the door. Turning back, she headed down the back stairs and left through the kitchen. 'Good,' she thought. 'Whoever is at the door should keep them busy.' She headed towards the grove of trees at the back of the house and began swiftly making her way down the hill. It was late and the trees blocked what moonlight was shining that night._

_She heard a faint pop in front of her, and then ran right into a black wall. Arm's reached out and grabbed her as she began to fall. She looked up to see a white mask as terror swept through her body. She tried to get out of the grip of her captor, when he said swiftly. "Run…Run away as fast as you can. Don't look back. I don't know what else I can do, but I'll make sure they don't see you." He then pulled his wand with one hand a cast a spell then pushed her away from the house into the woods._

_She ran. The branches clawing at her as she put her arms up to protect her face. She then nearly fell as she heard from behind her the scream of her mother. It just kept going. She clamped her hands over her ears, and regained her footing and ran._

She sat up in bed, sweat poring down her back with her hands on her ears. It had been years since she had dreamed of that night. Years since she had left her home and she had never looked back, had never been back. She looked out the window into the night sky trying to catch her breath.

"Maybe it's time to stop running."


	2. Ch 1 Returning Home

Chapter one

Returning Home

She stood in the dark on the front porch for several minutes before chastising herself. "You're just being silly. There's nothing in there that should stop me. It's my house now anyway." She mumbled to herself. She waved her wand at the door to release the many locks and wards. The large door creaked as it opened to expel the smell of dust and old air. Kali stepped back as the initial waft blew by her and allowed a breeze from behind her to blow some fresher air into the house. She then ventured through the door. She cast lumos to light her wand as she looked around the front hall.

She felt as if the ghosts of her parents could burst forth at any moment. She sneezed abruptly as the dust filled her nose. Never had she known it possible for so much dust to accumulate in one place. The sconces on the walls were so full of dust and cobwebs she dared not light them for fear of engulfing the house in flames. She sighed to herself, silently wishing she had arrived while the sun still shone to provide her with some light beyond that of her wand.

She returned to the porch to retrieve her luggage and brought in up the stairs with her to her old bedroom door. It felt strange to be in the house knowing that no one else was there. She set her bags against the wall nearest her door, and stood in front of it. She opened the door with a creak, and found it as she had left it 15 years before. Laundry half hanging out of a basket in the corner, a drawer not pushed all the way in, a few pictures tucked into a mirror so covered in dust she could barely see her reflection. She cast a few spells to rid the room of the worst dust, and another to get rid of the dirty sheets. Too tired to do much else, she pulled a blanket from her bags and changed into her nightclothes to curl up on the bed. She was asleep within moments of her head hitting the pillow and she began to dream.

_She was sitting in the headmaster's office with her hands folded in her lap. Two men from the ministry were there to question her, and the headmaster was encouraging her to answer them._

_"What exactly went on that night Miss Kole?" The slightly balding man asked._

_Kali sat quietly for a moment while the evening flashed through her mind. "I got into an argument with my parents…. I don't know what got me upset, but I yelled at them for ignoring me and told them I was leaving. I went up to my room and got my bag. …As I was about to head down the stairs, there was a knock at the door, so I went down the back stairs and out the kitchen…I had planned on walking down to the main road and calling the knight bus." She stopped, not wanting to relive the rest of that night._

_ "Please, Miss Kole. We need to know exactly what happened. Why did you not just apparate? You have a license." The man said._

_Kali glared at him. "I didn't apparate because I only just got my license and don't particularly like to."_

_"Alright Miss Kole. He wasn't trying to upset you; he is just trying to do his job. If you could continue..." The other, younger man said._

_"I was walking down through the woods at the back of the house," she paused for a moment and glanced at the headmaster before continuing. "I heard someone nearby. All I could tell was that they were wearing a large black cloak and a white mask. As soon as they passed by, I ran. Then I heard my mother begin to scream…she screamed and screamed and didn't stop." She paused to take a deep breath. "I ran until I got to the edge of the forest and I knew I had to get help so I tried to apparate to Hogwarts. I know you can't just apparate strait onto school grounds, but I thought I knew the gates well enough to make it. I almost splinched myself…I know it…I was too tired…. I got inside the gats, and I stumbled in the dark and fell. I hit my head…I should have been able to make it…I didn't really hate them…if I had made it…" she began to cry silently, and Dumbledore came over and patter her on the shoulder._

_ "Thank you Kali, I believe the men have everything they need for now." He turned towards the two men and began to usher them out the door. "Now gentlemen, I'm sure madam Pomfrey will be more than happy to verify that we found miss Kole just inside the gates and answer any other questions you may have. If you have any other questions, please let us know." And he shut the door._

_"I'm sorry, Professor…I shouldn't have gotten upset." Kali said quietly_

_"It's quite alright my dear. It will take time for you to deal with all that has happened, and you also are not fully rested." He said. Then he sat in a chair by her and offered her a lemon drop._

_"No thank you sir…but there is something I should tell you," she said looking up into his blue eyes. "I don't know how to explain it, but the man in the woods…I didn't see him just wander by. He apparated just in front of me and I ran into him. He should have brought me back to the house, I'm sure of it, but instead he told me to run, that he would make sure they didn't see me. Why do you suppose he did that? If he was a death eater, why would he help me?" she asked._

_"You are indeed luckier than I first thought," Dumbledore said. "You were quite right in not telling the ministry. If a death eater did regret his choices, it would be very hard for him to escape Voldemort. If the ministry knew, they'd try to find him and put him in more danger than he already is. For now, it's best if you just forget it and try to rest. We'll need to think about what you plan to do now, but we'll not do that until later. For now you should go and get some rest." He said as he stood and offered her a hand up. He led her to the door and paused. "I want you to know that you can always come to me when you are need of help Miss Kole. No matter how trivial it may seem."_

Kali woke to the suns rays trying to reach her though the grimy window. She groaned and buried deeper into the blanket. She didn't want to have to deal with anything just yet.

Arthur Weasley walked into the kitchen of the burrow and gave his wife a peck on the cheek. Molly chuckled at him and brushed him away as she began cooking dinner.

"Do we know how many it will be tonight? He asked with a grin. He never really knew how many of his 7 children would be at the dinner table, let alone other friends who would stop by.

"Well, let's see…Remus said he might be getting back in time to come over for dinner tonight, Fred and George will no doubt come over after closing up that blasted shop of theirs as they never seem to cook for themselves, Moody said something about stopping by later to finish a game of chess with Ron and Bill said he had some time off this week and would be over to see Ginny and Ron while they here. That would be 9 I think so of course I'm making for 12." She replied rolling her eyes. "You'd think the numbers would go down as the children grew older," she mumbled as she headed down into the pantry. Just as she disappeared down the stairs, a pair of pops were heard and Fred and George appeared in the kitchen with their father.

"Hey Dad!" "How did work go?" they asked, pulling out chairs at the table to sit.

"Exhausting as usual. There never seems to be an end to the paperwork, and we've just got word of some flying carpets being smuggled in. How about you, boys?"

But before they could answer Ginny came running in. "Dad! Ron's trying to steal my letter from Harry just because he didn't get one this morning from Hedwig!" she said in a rush.

Molly came back up the stairs with a bag of potatoes and a bag of flour in the other. "Ginny, did I just hear you say that Ron's looking for Harry's letter? I think Errol just brought one in and I haven't had time to find him yet. If you would dearie, that should solve the whole mess."

Just as she headed for the stairs, the front door opened and Remus and Bill came in.

"Bill!' Ginny cried and flew across the room to see him. He picked her up and swung her around, causing Remus to jump for cover or suffer being hit in the head by Ginny's shoes.

"Hello Gin, where's my tonic." He laughed as his mother glared at him from the kitchen.

"Hello Weasley's", Remus said. "Have enough for a hungry overworked man?" he chuckled. It always raised his spirits to see this family together.

"Come in! Come in!" Mrs. Weasley called. "Have a cup of tea as I cook. I'm sure you can find something to talk with Arthur about. You too Bill. Come have a seat."

"I'll be there in a minute Mum." He called towards the kitchen before looking down at his baby sister. "Where's that annoying brother of yours?" he asked.

"Which one?" she asked rolling her eyes. They were all annoying at some point or another. "Fred and George are in the kitchen and Ron's probably still sulking cause I won't let him read my letter."

"Since when has Ron had an interest in your quill comrade?" he said, knowing she had friend she wrote to all the time.

"Since I started getting letters from his best friend" she said.

"Ah, that makes more sense. Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it. He's probably either a) jealous cause he feels your taking away his friend, or b) trying to look out for you, which he'll get over in time to some degree. Now let's go see if we can find him."

The both went up the stairs to Ron's door and Bill knocked quickly before sticking his head in the small room. "You gonna hide away in here all day, or come give you're big brother a welcome home for his vacation?" Bill said.

"Bill! I didn't know you were coming over. Maybe you can make Ginny let me see Harry's letter." He said waving for him to come in. Bill came over and ruffled his little brother hair and laughed when Ginny followed him in and glared at Ron.

"Remind me to thank Mum for charming my door so you couldn't get into my room when I wasn't there." She said.

"You know I'll help you with just about anything Ron, but I've learned not to get involved with arguments with women involves, and Ginny is too close for me to chance it," Ron's face fell in defeat as Bill said this, and Ginny blushed scarlet. "But if you both promise not to let Mum catch you with them, I made a stop at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and wasn't allowed out of the door until I got something. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and enlarged it with a swish of his wand. He then opened it and pulled out two hats. He handed one each to Rona and Ginny. He also pulled out a few canary creams and gave them to them. "I also have some of their fireworks, but I thought they could wait until a bit later tonight. Mum can't complain too much if I suggest setting them off. Just don't let her catch you wandering around without your head. K?" he said

"Thanks Bill, Hermione said these hats were pretty cool." Ginny said giving her brother a hug.

"I always knew you were the coolest, Fred and George barely even let me in the store unless someone else is there with me." Ron grinned, knowing full well, that he was a klutz when left to himself, especially now after he had grown again.

"They kept pushing me towards the skiving snack boxes but I figured I'd really get in trouble if you got caught with that. So stash those somewhere that Mum won't find them and come on downstairs."

"Oh, Ron, I almost forgot, Mum said there was a letter for you that just came a bit ago." Ginny said and quickly left to go hide her gifts in her room.

Bill went back down to the kitchen and gave his mother a kiss and hug before he sat at the table to join the conversation. It seems Lupin had just gotten back from Little Whinging where he had visited with Harry and Mrs. Figg.

"Oh Bill," His father said when the conversation lagged. "I heard something today you might be interested in. I was talking to Madam Edgecombe today and she said something about the floo being reconnected at the old Kole house. Isn't that the name of the girl you knew at school?' he asked.

Bill paused a moment, "Kali Kole, yeah. Did she say whether it was her? She may have sold the house finally. I don't think she's been back to it since she left school." He asked remembering her saying she never wanted to go back.

"Well, I never heard anything about it being on the market, and she would have to go back to release the wards anyway. When's the last time you heard from her?" Arthur asked his son

"I got a letter about a year ago saying she felt she was getting close to some big breakthrough in her research…I wonder if she has finally decided to come home." He mumbled, and then turned to his mother. "How much time before dinner Mum? Think I have time to go invite a few extra guests?" he asked.

"Well, if you don't lollygag, I guess you might have time. I'll hold off for an hour, but if you aren't back by then, we'll dig in and you can join when you get back." She said, knowing full well how hard it was to keep a bunch of boys from food.

"I'll not take too much time." He said as he rose from his seat. He waved at the others ands said, "I'll be back in a bit then," and apparated away.

Kali had just pulled her hair back after getting out of a much-needed shower when she heard a knock at the door. Wondering who could have found out she was there so quickly, she went to go answer it. She looked through the cloudy glass to see two people standing on her porch.

"Professor Dumbledore!" She exclaimed as she opened the door, immediately recognizing her old headmaster. "I wasn't expecting you…" she said as she turned her eyes to look at the other man in front of her. Something in the way he grinned at her sparked a memory, and seeing his long red hair and the mischievous glint in his eyes she suddenly couldn't believe it.

"Weasley…Bill Weasley?" She asked, as her eyes grew round in disbelief. The last time she had seen him was at her graduation when he was 16. She could barely see the gangly teen in the tall man in front of her.

"Hello, Kali. Welcome back! I heard you were here thought you'd like to see a few familiar faces and have a hearty dinner." He said with a wide grin.


	3. Ch 2 Not so First Impressions

Disclaimer: No, I do not own all of these characters, I've just placed Kali among Rowlings toys. Nor am I making any profit.

**Chapter 2**

**Not so first Impressions**

Sometimes later, Kali found herself sitting at the Weasley's dinner table, with a heaping pile of food in front of her. Looking around she took note of the people present that she had known years ago. She still could not believe how much Bill had changed from the skinny boy she had known. Dumbledore, though he was already old during her days as a student, looked older and more worn than 15 years should have caused. It may not have been obvious to the common observer, or even those around him regularly, but to a sharp discerning eye and a precise memory such as Kali's the changes were clear. She saw that the jovial, carefree sparkle had dimmed considerably, and it seemed as if he were upholding a burden much too large for him to bear.

She let her gaze travel down to the other end of the table to Remus Lupin. Compared to this man, Dumbledore seemed happy as a songbird. She remembered he always did look a bit poorly, yet he now looked as if he were ready to keel over. His hair was predominantly gray, his clothes hung a bit to loosely on his frame and the dark bags under his eyes indicated he was sleeping little if any at all. He ate very little from his plate, which explained his ill fitting clothes, and instead had pushed thing about to try and hid the evidence of his limited appetite. As she studied him, she failed to notice that Bill had begun to talk to her.

"Kali!" he said a bit louder, and she jumped a bit in her chair. She blushed slightly at being caught letting her mind wander.

"Sorry Bill. What was that you just said?" she asked quietly.

"I was just asking how long you were planning to stay," he said.

"I'm not exactly sure," she answered. "For a while at least. I should at least at least take care of my parent's estate. The house was my grandparent's before them, so who knows what's lurking about in it. I suppose that could take a couple months, and then it all depends on what else turns up to keep me here." She answered, not yet knowing the real reason she had been asked to come back.

"Hmm," Bill thought for a moment with his hand posed on his chin. "I may just have to dig up some reasons for you to stick around. We've a lot of common interests to catch up on."

"As I recall, the only common interest betwixt us is my unfortunate knowledge of old artifacts and your obsession in disarming the spells that protect them. I doubt you'd have much interest in the dusty old manuscripts I've been digging through for the past who knows how long."

"Well, then. That just makes it a much more intriguing challenge." Bill grinned evilly, itching with delight at how easy it was to fall back into the comfortable banter they had established back at school.

"Why you want a ... what was it you called me... ah yes...I believe it was a bitter, cold-hearted, over demanding Slytherin wench...to 'stick around' is beyond me. I'll warn you now Weasley. I've merely grown older, not become a different person, nor do I plan to change any time soon."

"With quite a memory I see. Well, I may not have been up to the challenge then, but when can a Gryffindor ever turn down such a feat, especially against a Slytherin?" Bill snickered.

"I suppose it does me no harm to let you play your little game. But I'll be the one laughing when I pack my bags to leave." They continued a friendly banter off and on throughout dinner, each trying to outmaneuver the other, and Kali oddly didn't feel quite as out of place as she knew she should. Not to say she felt at home, but being a Slytherin at a table full of Gryffindors should have felt more like torture than they annoying twinge inside her head. After all, Bill turned out to be an ok kid...

As the night grew late and Bill went to set up his spectacular display of fireworks, Kali found herself standing in a quiet corner with only Dumbledore close by. They sat in a companionable silence just watching the others converse. Knowing the headmaster would speak to her eventually, she waited. If she had learned one thing in all her life, it was how to wait.

He spoke casually as if their meeting was just another random encounter between professor and alumni. "The students are all home for the season, but most of the staff are still in residence if you decide to visit the school. I'd be more than happy to sit and have tea with you," he failed miserably at trying to make it seen as if she were to him for aid. Intrigued but more than a bit suspicious she let her instincts guide her.

"I appreciate the invitation, Professor. When would be most convenient for you?" she replied, playing along, but not giving in to his little game. She knew it was the only way to get to the answers she sought.

"Well, our final staff meeting is tomorrow morning, but I believe the afternoon is free. You're welcome to come wander the grounds in the morning until then." She felt the intensity with which his mind was racing, trying not to move too swiftly, but betraying the lack of time to waste.

"I'll just drop by in early afternoon for tea then. Say, 2 o'clock?" she replied. With a nod from Dumbledore they let the conversation die the death it deserved. Soon after, Bill came in and Kali stayed just long enough to see the display before begging off on the grounds of exhaustion.

In truth she was wide awake and brimming with energy, but needed to return home to try and piece together the tidbits of information of what was really going on.

Kali had spent most of the morning buried knee deep in paperwork. Not only did she need the floo reconnected, which took an entire ream in and of itself, the title for her house hadn't been updated, her legal residence needed to be changed, her apparitions license needed renewing, it seemed as though the ministry was intent on holding her hostage for the next 6 months to make up for the fact that she had ignored her inheritance for so long. When she finally scowled at enough perky blonde receptionists, they handed her yet another stack of forms and records to take home with her.

With what remained of her day, she set to work on a few of the essential rooms. The bedroom and linen closet were at the top of her list. She refused to submit to another uncomfortable night with only a single blanket. Next came the main bathroom and shower, though at first she thought she had somehow wandered into an indoor greenhouse. Beyond that, a preliminary assessment was all that she achieved. She did take advantage of the clear weather to open every door window and opening she could find to allow some fresher air to reach the inner rooms. In doing this, she made discovery at the back of one of the bedroom closets. There was a doorway obviously meant to be hidden behind hanging garments. Beyond it was a small enclosed room with an ornate desk complete with monogrammed leatherhead ready to be used.

"C. B.?" she asked herself. "Who is C.B.?" A quick search of the desk revealed some envelopes and other stationary but no clues to reveal the identity of the owner. Kali decided that she could use this as an office of her own.

Her parents had only inherited the manor within a year of their own death from Kali's raving grandmother. She remembered visiting once as a small child, but they had left abruptly and no one had bothered to explain why. She had only been home from school for two weeks when her parent's were murdered. She therefore knew very little knowledge of the history or even the layout of the house.

Upon returning from the Weasley's, she found the small number of boxes she had shipped had arrived and were laying in wait for her. She pulled out her wand and with a few swishes, send them floating off to their appropriate rooms. She followed a few up the stairs to her office and ruffled few a couple before finding what looked like a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and parchments, as well as her ink well and quill. She then began to sit and write down all the observations she had made at dinner. She glanced at a few of the latest articles about the ministry and back to where she was making notes about Dumbledore. There had to be more to the bigger picture that she just couldn't see yet

Authors note:

I know it doesn't really get anywhere, but I promise, things will begin to make more sense soon. Also I would like to apologize for the roughness. I realize there is a bunch of spelling and grammar errors throughout this, but have yet to find the time to go through and weed them back out again. This is a work in progress still, and as such will likely be modified at least a few more times before we see the end.

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read my worthless ramblings.


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